The Bloodline of the Infinite Gate Part 4

Final Chapter: The Infinite Choice

When Seryn opened her eyes, the world around her was eerily still. The ruins of the Infinite Gate stood silent, the faint glow of its glyphs now extinguished. Her body ached, and her mind felt hollow, as though part of her had been stripped away.

Raelith and Marcus hovered nearby, their faces etched with concern.

“You’re awake,” Marcus said, his tone gruff but relieved.

Seryn sat up slowly, her fingers brushing the ground where the dagger had fallen. It was no longer glowing, its once vibrant energy now dormant. “What… what happened?”

Raelith knelt beside her, his face pale. “You closed the Gate. The Order is scattered — for now. But what did you give, Seryn? The Gate doesn’t take without payment.”

Her chest tightened as fragments of memory surfaced, like shards of a broken mirror. Moments of her childhood with her father. Her mother’s laughter. The faces of those who had loved her, protected her, taught her who she was. They were slipping away, dissolving into a fog she couldn’t clear.

“I gave them my past,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “My memories of who I was. It’s all… gone.”

Marcus cursed under his breath, slamming his metal fist against a nearby stone. “Damn that Gate. If it’s gone, why does it still have this hold over you?”

Seryn shook her head. “It’s not gone. I only delayed it. The Gate will call again, and the Order won’t stop. They’ll regroup, and next time…” Her voice faltered. “Next time, I won’t be here to stop them.”

Raelith stared at her, his eyes filled with sorrow. “What are you saying?”

Seryn forced herself to stand, though her legs felt unsteady. She turned to the Gatekeeper, who still stood silently by the archway, his glowing eyes fixed on her.

“There’s only one way to ensure the Gate never falls into the wrong hands,” she said, her voice resolute. “Someone has to guard it. Not from this side, but from within.”

Raelith’s eyes widened. “You can’t mean — ”

“I do,” Seryn interrupted. “If I enter the Gate, I can seal it from the other side. The Order won’t be able to access its power without the key, and the key is tied to me. If I go, the Gate goes with me.”

“That’s suicide,” Marcus growled. “You’re talking about throwing yourself into… what? Another dimension? Oblivion? We’ll figure something else out!”

“There isn’t anything else,” Seryn said, her voice breaking. She turned to Marcus and Raelith, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. “I don’t have a past anymore. But I can give you a future. I can give everyone a future. That’s worth it.”

Raelith reached for her arm. “There has to be another way. Please, Seryn, let me — ”

“No,” she said softly. “This is my choice. My bloodline brought this burden into the world. It’s my responsibility to end it.”

The Gatekeeper stepped forward, his voice deep and solemn. “You understand the cost?”

Seryn nodded. “I do.”

With a heavy heart, Marcus placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re braver than most people I’ve ever met. Braver than me, that’s for damn sure.”

Raelith looked as though he wanted to argue, but instead, he bowed his head. “You’ve earned peace, Seryn. If this is your choice… I won’t stand in your way.”

Seryn offered them a faint smile. “Take care of each other. And make sure the Order never rises again.”

Before she could change her mind, she stepped toward the Gate. Its glyphs flickered to life as she approached, sensing her presence. The pull in her chest grew stronger, and the air around her shimmered with a soft, golden light.

The Gatekeeper raised his hand, and the archway began to hum with energy. “When you cross, the Gate will close. Your sacrifice will protect this world, but you will never return to it.”

Seryn glanced back one last time. Marcus stood stiffly, his jaw tight, while Raelith’s hands trembled at his sides. She committed their faces to memory, even as the ache of loss swelled in her chest.

“I’ll be okay,” she said, though it was as much for herself as it was for them.

She stepped through the Gate.

The light enveloped her, and for a moment, she felt weightless, unbound by time or space. Then the world dissolved into a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, shifting and infinite. She felt the presence of something vast and ancient, watching her with quiet curiosity.

She was no longer Seryn, not entirely. Her past, her identity, her very existence faded into the fabric of the Infinite. But in the midst of it, she felt a profound peace. She had done what she could. She had given her all.

And the Gate closed.

Epilogue: A Legacy Left Behind

Months later, Raelith and Marcus stood on the cliffs of Dremscar, where the ruins of the Gate were now overgrown with moss and wildflowers. The archway stood silent, its glyphs dark.

“She did it,” Marcus said, breaking the silence. “She actually did it.”

Raelith nodded, his gaze distant. “The Order’s remnants are scattered. Without the Gate, they’re just another cult chasing shadows.”

“But for how long?” Marcus asked.

Raelith sighed. “As long as it takes for someone else to forget the cost of power.”

They stood in silence, the wind carrying the distant cries of gulls.

“She was more than her bloodline,” Marcus said finally. “More than that damn Gate.”

“She was a hero,” Raelith replied.

And though they would never see her again, they carried her memory with them, a reminder of what she had sacrificed to protect the world.

Far beyond their reach, in a place where dimensions intertwined, Seryn existed as part of the Infinite. No longer bound by time or identity, she became a guardian not of one world, but of all worlds.

The Gate would remain sealed, its secrets safe. And her legacy would endure, a testament to the strength of the human spirit.

The End.